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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700517">Loki and Tony Silver-Stark's Guide to Being a Parent</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Wing_Queen101/pseuds/Sweet_Wing_Queen101'>Sweet_Wing_Queen101</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Vindicta and Silvertongue [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, spider-man homecoming</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Basically Spider-Man: Homecoming with twists, Bullying, F/M, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Homophobic Language, Loki wants to adopt Peter, M/M, May Parker is homophobic, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Pranks, Protective Tony Stark, Tony is Not Allowed to have revenge, Tony is Not Allowed to have revenge because Flash is a kid, spider-man/deadpool - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:00:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,971</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700517</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_Wing_Queen101/pseuds/Sweet_Wing_Queen101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter is gay.<br/>He's never told anyone before, but after seeing Tony dating Loki, he figures he can come out.<br/>Except, Flash and his Aunt May find out, and both are homophobic.<br/>Meanwhile, Valkarie warns Dr. Strange of the "danger" Loki poses.<br/>(The author wants to strangle Flash.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bruce Banner/Thor, Loki &amp; Peter Parker &amp; Tony Stark, Loki/Tony Stark, Michelle Jones &amp; Ned Leeds &amp; Peter Parker, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson, Steve Rogers/James "Bucky" Barnes (mentioned), Valkarie &amp; Dr. Steven Strange, Wade Wilson's Mother/Wade Wilson's Father</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Vindicta and Silvertongue [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025814</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>174</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Peter has had a long summer, including stealing Captain America's shield, discovering he's gay, and finding out Mr. Stark and Loki Friggason are dating.<br/>He hopes the first day of school is less chaotic.<br/>He's wrong.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Do you have your backpack?" May asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A change of clothes?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, Aunt May."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Your homework?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, Aunt May."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Your school books?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, Aunt May," Peter said exasperatedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I just want to make sure you have everything," May said indignantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have everything," Peter promised. "I have to go or I'll be late."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>May pulled him into a brief hug. "Now go have fun!"</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, sure,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Peter thought tiredly as he raced out the door, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun. That totally describes a prison.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter jumped on the bus and sat down in the back, pulling out his math book. His mind wandered to the previous summer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Stark -- gosh, he was so much braver than Peter -- had told everyone that he was dating Loki Friggason. Peter had been relieved to know that Mr. Stark wasn't homophobic, and neither were any of his close friends. He had been trying to muster up courage to tell everyone his own secret, but he wasn't brave at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter was gay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was pretty sure his aunt didn't support the LGBTQ+ community. She'd never talked about it, but every time they saw a same-sex couple walking around, she would wrinkle her nose and guide Peter in a different direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew Ned wasn't homophobic -- Ned had a cousin who was bi, and he'd shown interest in the LGBTQ+ community -- so he was planning to tell Ned today. Peter wasn't sure about MJ, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hoped she would just react like she normally did -- "That's nice, weirdo" -- but with his luck she would hate him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter had barely been through the front doors for two seconds when someone shoved him, sending him to the floor and his backpack flying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, P**** Parker!" Flash shouted. "Nice acrobatic skills!"</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So unoriginal,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Peter thought as Flash's friends laughed, staggering back to his feet and retrieving his backpack. "Hi, Flash."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you have fun with your Stark Internship?" Flash mocked, following Peter up the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I did, it was great," Peter agreed, finding his locker. Flash slammed it shut. Only with Peter's spider-senses did he manage to get his fingers out of the way before they were smashed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm talking to you, Parker," Flash snapped. "It's rude to ignore people."</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It's also rude to treat people like</span>
  </em>
  <span><em> trash,</em> Peter thought. "I'm trying to get to class, Flash..." The boy was still in front of his locker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Petey!"</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, gosh, not</span>
  </em>
  <span><em> now...</em> Peter thought, feeling a whole range of emotions at once: alarm, excitement, embarrassment, glee, longing. He turned and smiled weakly. "Hey, Wade."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hottest boy in the school (in Peter's opinion, which was slightly biased) grinned at him, completely ignoring Flash. "How was your summer?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was great, thanks." For the most part. "How was yours?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Awesome!" Wade said brightly. The bell rang, and he towered Flash, a slightly deadly expression on his face. "Why don't you let Petey get his things in his locker, Flash? Will that take too much effort?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flash, who, while he was the tallest of his friends and one of the tallest in the school, was a foot shorter than Wade and had a lot less muscles, said quickly, "Oh, yeah, right." He and his friends quickly backed away, and Flash hissed, "You're lucky you have your boyfriend to defend you this time, Parker, but you won't be as lucky."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter wished Wade was his boyfriend.</span>
</p><p>"Thanks," he said quietly to the boy, opening his locker again.</p><p>Wade's blue eyes were full of concern, but he said nothing but, "No prob. See you in Spanish!" He bro-punched Peter's shoulder gently, then darted off.</p><p>Peter sighed longingly, then realized he was late for English. Quickly, he pulled his books out of his backpack, shoved it in his locker and shot down the hall.</p><p>---------</p><p>"Join me as we build my new Lego Death Star," Ned said in a dramatically deep voice.</p><p>"Really<span>?" Peter exclaimed eagerly. "How many pieces is it?"</span></p><p>
  <span>"Three thousand, eight hundred and three," Ned replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Whoa," Peter said happily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, so I was wondering if I could come over after school and we could build it together," Ned said hopefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can't, I have the Stark Internship," Peter reminded him quietly, wishing he could spend time with Ned instead.</span>
</p><p>"Oh, well, we can..."</p><p>Ned was still talking, but Peter was immediately distracted by Wade, who was talking to Mr. Orville. Wade had to repeatedly brush his beautiful raven hair out of his eyes because he was standing underneath the vent, and Peter was thoroughly disappointed when Mr. Orville nodded and led Wade down the hall.</p><p>"...is that okay<span>?" Ned asked.</span></p><p>
  <span>"...uh... yeah, sure," Peter said distractedly, staring after Wade. "I... um... there's something I should tell you. At lunch, so no one hears."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sure, Peter," Ned agreed. "Do you want to tell MJ, too?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I guess," Peter said nervously. "Um. Do you know what she feels about... about," he lowered his voice, "homosexuals?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ned gave him a puzzled look. "As far as I know, she's incredibly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. Why?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll tell you at lunch," Peter said softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ok. So anyway..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter let Ned prattle on, letting his friend's voice soothe him. He was still a bit nervous about coming out, but he knew Ned would be cool about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As long as Flash didn't find out....</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, losers," MJ said fondly as she sat down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, MJ," Ned and Peter said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You said you wanted to tell us something?" MJ asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter took a breath. "I... I found out last year, when Wade -- Wade Wilson -- transferred. Um..." he swallowed. <em>Just say it, idiot.</em> "I'm gay," he blurted out quietly. He held his breath, bracing himself for scathing disgust.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Same," MJ grinned, raising her hand for a high-five. Ned looked amused. Peter, rather dazed, gave her a high-five. "Welcome to the gay club, nerd."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Peter said softly, blushing. "What's so funny, Ned?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I already knew you were gay, or at least bi," Ned explained, smirking. "The dreamy, longing look on your face whenever Wilson is nearby-" he mock swooned, and MJ snickered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I do not!" Peter squeaked, blushing even harder. "You can't tell him," he insisted. He'd be mortified and Wade would hate him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No way!" Ned exclaimed. "It's your secret."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We won't tell a soul," MJ promised, nodding solemnly. "Are you going to eat your carrots?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, the conversation turned to a much happier subject, as if Peter's coming out was just normal routine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter's friends were awesome.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey P**** Parker!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter groaned. He'd been about to head out as Spider-Man, but no, Flash had to have the last word. "Yeah, Flash?" he asked politely, turning. "I have to get home soon."</span>
</p><p>Flash sneered. "I knew you were a nerd, which is bad enough, but I guess you had to be worse -- a nerd f****t!"</p><p>Peter flinched as Flash's friends laughed. How had he found out<span>?! He'd worked <em>so hard</em> to keep it hidden!</span></p><p>
  <span>"Oh, touched a nerve!" Flash sniggered. He pushed Peter's shoulder, sending Peter stumbling backwards. He was on the top of the stairs now. "You have trouble learning your place, Parker. Guess you need more lessons." He shoved him, sending Peter flying down the stairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Massive pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Darkness.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know the storyline from 'Homecoming' doesn't happen until later in the year, but I decided to speed it up a bit.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Peter wakes up in the hospital with a surprise guest.<br/>Aunt May is not happy.<br/>Tony and Loki are furious.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peter stirred. Why did everything hurt? And why couldn't he move his arm or leg?</p><p>"Petey?" a familiar voice asked softly. "Petey, can you hear me?"</p><p>"Wade?" Peter mumbled. "What hap..." Then he remembered.</p><p>
  <em>Flash knew he was gay.</em>
</p><p>Peter's eyes flew open and he began shaking and panicking. Wade grabbed his good arm gently and soothed, "Shh, Petey, you're safe, shh."</p><p>They were in a hospital room. Peter had a cast on his left arm and one on his right leg from ankle to halfway up his thigh. There was no way he'd be able to patrol like this!</p><p>"You okay, sweetheart?" Wade asked softly.</p><p>"Yes," Peter lied. Judging by Wade's even more concerned expression, he saw through it. "How did I get here?"</p><p>"I found you on the bottom of the stairs, unconscious," Wade explained, his voice cracking slightly. "You looked... broken." He scowled. "I'm gonna <em>kill</em> Flash," he hissed.</p><p>"No, please don't do anything, I'm fine!" Peter squeaked; Flash would hurt him <em>more</em> if Wade attacked him.</p><p>Wade realized Peter was panicking and took his hand. "All right. I won't hurt him." He changed the subject. "I called your aunt, your friends, and Mr. Stark."</p><p>"You have Mr. Stark on your phone?" Peter asked in surprise.</p><p>"I used your phone," Wade said dryly. "He and someone named Mr. Silver are on their way. Mrs. Parker seemed mad about something, you'll probably know when you get home."</p><p>"You didn't tell Mr. Stark and Mr. Silver that Flash pushed me down the stairs, did you?" Peter squawked. They didn't care much about the rules anymore; they would probably do <em>worse</em> than Wade could ever do.</p><p>"Yeah, I did; why?" Wade questioned.</p><p>Peter groaned. "I promised Mr. Stark I wouldn't tell, but-"</p><p>There was a knock on the door, and Wade quickly let go of Peter's hand. "Come in," Wade called, as Peter tried to hide his disappointment.</p><p>The door burst open and a frantic Tony entered, his eyes going even wider when he saw Peter on the hospital bed. "Peter, are you okay?" he yelped, darting over.</p><p>"I'm fine, Mr. Stark," Peter lied again. Tony frowned, obviously not believing him. "Please don't kill Flash," he pleaded. <em>Or torture him!</em></p><p>"We won't attack the child, <em>little spider,</em>" said Loki as he entered, wearing his Lockton Silver glamour. The last two words were spoken in Russian. "You must be Mr. Wade Wilson," he addressed Wade.</p><p>"Yes, sir," Wade said politely, casting Peter a worried look. He allowed Tony to take the chair, and Tony began quietly fussing over Peter.</p><p>"We would like to have a word with Peter," Loki said gently. "Alone, please."</p><p>Wade nodded, gave Peter another anxious glance, and left the room. Loki shut the door behind him.</p><p>"Cameras," Tony muttered. Loki nodded and leaned against the door, keeping his Lockton Silver glamour.</p><p>"Mr. Stark, you can't heal me," Peter said quickly before Tony could touch him. "Not yet, at least."</p><p>"Why not?" Tony demanded.</p><p>"Because most mortals do not heal that quickly, pet," Loki reminded him. "Why 'not yet,' <em>little</em> <em>spider?</em>"</p><p>"Mr. Stark has come up with some... really advanced technology in the past few months after coming back from Asgard, Mr. Friggason," Peter said carefully. "He could probably make-"</p><p>"-something that speeds up the healing process?" Tony finished, his eyes lit up. "Well I guess-"</p><p>Loki interrupted with a laugh. "Before you start blathering about technology, we should plan <em>when</em> this will happen."</p><p>"Tomorrow," Tony said firmly. He gave Peter a sharp glare, indicating that he wouldn't hear any arguments.</p><p>Peter didn't have any; he wanted to be out patrolling as soon as possible. "Yes, Mr. Stark," he agreed. "You'll have to talk Aunt May into it, though."</p><p>There was another knock on the door, this time sounding more frantic. "Peter? Peter, are you-"</p><p>"I'm fine, Aunt May," Peter said with a sigh.</p><p>Loki glanced at Tony, who nodded, and he opened the door. May looked startled.</p><p>"Hello," Loki said smoothly. "You must be Mr. Parker's aunt. My name is Lockton Silver. I am Mr. Stark's lawyer."</p><p>"Slash fi- boyfriend," Tony interjected. Loki gave him a slightly amused look.</p><p>May pursed her lips. "Pleased to meet you," she said tightly. "Mr. Stark, if you don't mind, I'd like to take my nephew home."</p><p>"Oh, no, that's fine," Tony agreed. "I'd like him to come to Avengers Tower, tomorrow, though, just some desk work," he promised.</p><p>"Please, Aunt May?" Peter pleaded when May hesitated.</p><p>"As long as you have all your homework done," she sighed, looking faintly annoyed. "The nurse will be here in a minute with the wheelchair."</p><p>Wade poked his head in. "Can I say goodbye to Petey, Mrs. Parker?" he asked suavely. Peter blushed faintly at his tone.</p><p>May relaxed, laughing. "Of course. You have such polite friends, Peter."</p><p><em>I wish he was more than a friend,</em> Peter thought.</p><p>Wade walked over and squeezed Peter's good hand. "See you later, Petey."</p><p>"Bye," Peter blushed.</p><p>---------</p><p>Peter was just getting into bed, having struggled to get his pajamas on, when <em>Despacito</em> blared from his phone. He snatched it off the bedside table and answered it. "Hey, Ned."</p><p>"Hey, you okay?" Ned asked worriedly.</p><p>For a moment, Peter considered lying, but Ned was probably the only one who would call his crap. "No," he whispered.</p><p>"Oh, jeez, Peter, what's wrong?"</p><p>"Flash knows I'm gay," Peter whispered.</p><p>"Oh <em>no,</em>" Ned groaned. "That's going to suck. I'm sorry I can't do anything about it, bro."</p><p>"It's fine," Peter sighed. "I know you can't do anything about Flash." He didn't tell Ned that Tony and Loki were probably already dealing with it. "You might be able to come over tomorrow after school. I have to do the Stark Internship, but I'll probably be home by eight. We can build your Death Star."</p><p>"I'd love to," Ned said brightly. "Can we invite MJ, too?"</p><p>"That works," Peter agreed. "See you tomorrow."</p><p>"Bye!"</p><p>---------</p><p>The next morning, Peter hobbled into the kitchen to find Aunt May scowling. "What's wrong, May?" he asked, awkwardly getting out a bowl.</p><p>"Flash Thompson called," May said coolly. Peter froze. "He seems to think you're... <em>gay.</em>"</p><p>"I... I don't know what you're talking about," Peter said carefully, heart pounding.</p><p>"He overheard you telling Ned and MJ."</p><p>Peter swallowed.</p><p>"You're not going to the Avengers Tower today," May said icily. "As far as I'm concerned, you're not going <em>ever.</em> Stark and his <em>boyfriend </em>are a bad influence on you."</p><p>"Mr. Stark is a kind man!" Peter protested. "And Mr. Silver-"</p><p>"They're f****ts!" May snapped, and Peter flinched. "I won't have my nephew dating guys! So either date girls -- like MJ, she's nice -- or get out."</p><p>"MJ is lesbian," Peter said quietly. "And being gay is not a choice." He set down the bowl. "I guess I'm leaving, then."</p><p>He managed to make it back to his bedroom before bursting into tears.</p><p>He grabbed his cell phone, hand shaking as he pressed the speed dial.</p><p>"M-M-Mr. S-Stark?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tony and Loki are, again, furious.<br/>Peter meets the Avengers, and the Avengers meet Spiderman/Peter.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tony was woken up by his phone blaring </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pork and Beans</span>
  </em>
  <span> by Wheezer. He snatched it up as Loki stirred beside him. Before he could yell at whoever had woken him up, he heard Peter's sobbing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"M-M-Mr. S-Stark?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Pete!" Tony yelped, jolting upright. "What's wrong?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Loki was instantly awake, looking worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A-Aunt M-May k-kicked me o-out," Peter cried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What! Why?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I..." he heard Peter swallow. "I'm g-gay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm going to kill her," Tony seethed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"N-no! P-please don't, s-sir, I-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We'll come pick you up," Tony soothed, not promising anything. That b****! How dare she hurt his so- assistant! "We'll have to shower and dress first-" </span>
  <em>
    <span>We still smell like se-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <b>(TONY!</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Whaaaat?)</b>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's okay, Mr. Stark," Peter rasped. "Bye."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bye, kiddo," Tony said gently. He waited until Peter had hung up before jumping out of bed and snatching a change of clothes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is it?" Loki demanded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Peter came out, his aunt his homophobic, she kicked him out-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"WHAT?!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"-he's staying at Avengers Tower," Tony finished, rushing over to the bathroom. "I have to tell the team."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I thought you didn't want him on missions," Loki said slowly, following him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't, but that doesn't mean he can't live with us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We have to take separate showers," Tony said regretfully. "Otherwise we'll get distracted, Peter needs us."</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>do <em>care for the spider child,</em> Loki said softly.</span>
</p><p>"I consider him my kid." Tony jumped into the shower. "FRI, Tell Nat to make pancakes!"</p><p>-----------</p><p>Peter sat on the front steps with two suitcases. The doorman had seen him struggling with his luggage and insisted on carrying both down. Peter could have carried both down, given that he was much stronger than most people, but even with his super-strength, he shouldn't drag heavy things while he was recovering.</p><p>Mr. Stark's car pulled up, and the man jumped out, almost tripping over the sidewalk. Peter launched into his arms, sobbing.</p><p>"Shh, Pete, shh," Tony soothed, running his fingers through his hair. "Hap, but Peter's luggage in the car, would you<span>?"</span></p><p>
  <span>"I will help," the smooth, calm voice of Lockton Silver said, helping Peter to relax slightly. Peter still thought it was awesome that Loki could change his voice as well as his looks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony gently lifted Peter in his arms and carried him to the car. Loki appeared a moment later, carrying Peter's crutches. When he reached for them, Tony gently swatted his hand. "I'm carrying you all day today if I can help it, Peter," he declared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter blushed. "I don't mind using my crutches, Mr. Stark-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No arguments. You're being carried."</span>
</p><p>Peter sighed. "Yes, Mr. Stark." He hesitated. "Um, I told Ned he could come over and I'd help him build his new LEGO Death Star-"</p><p>"LEGO<span>?" Loki questioned. "'Death Star?'"</span></p><p>
  <span>"Oh, my gosh, I forgot to introduce you to Star Wars," Tony said gleefully. Loki rolled his eyes, and Peter giggled. "He can come over to the Avengers Tower, kiddo, it's fine."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter gaped at him. "I -- we -- Avengers Tower?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yup," Tony nodded. "You're a Junior Avenger, aren't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A what?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't want you on full missions yet," Tony admitted. "I don't want you to get hurt. Besides, someone's gotta help the little guy. Like the woman who gave you her churro!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You -- you heard-" Peter was so <em>happy;</em> he'd thought Tony had been ignoring him.</span>
</p><p>Loki chuckled, making Tony turn bright red. "Antony has been bragging about your good deeds so often that he spends more time talking about you than almost anything else. It's rather adorable."</p><p>"I'm not adorable!" Tony huffed. Peter giggled again.</p><p>"When does your friend wish to come to the tower<span>?" Loki asked.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Well, he said after school," Peter said, "but, well, that's when I patrol as Spiderman."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not today you aren't," Tony frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can heal me now, Mr. Stark," Peter pointed out. "The... the only reason you couldn't yesterday was... was because of A-Aunt May, and now that I'm staying at Avengers Tower -- who knows my identity?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I told Lokes, and Hap knows," Tony began.</span>
</p><p>Loki gave him a dry, fond look. "He means of the Avengers you work with."</p><p>"Ahhh," Tony grinned, making Peter giggle again. "Vision probably guessed, I don't know. Otherwise no one."</p><p>"You can tell them, I don't mind. Um... who's there right now, anyway<span>?" Peter asked.</span></p><p>
  <span>"Everyone, it's been a bit of a boring month," Tony shrugged.</span>
</p><p>Loki snorted when Peter looked confused. "Thor, the Iron Patriot, AKA Mr. Rhodes, Vision, the Hulk, AKA Dr. Banner, Black Widow, AKA Natasha Romanoff-"</p><p>"You mean Dr. <em>Bruce</em> Banner<span>?" Peter squealed. "Oh my gosh, the paper he did on neurotransmitters-"</span></p><p>
  <span>"Is he speaking English?" Tony whispered dramatically, causing Peter to burst out laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p>Loki carried Peter this time, and his arms were much warmer, stronger, and softer than Tony's. The three of them -- Happy was taking Peter's luggage to his room -- headed up to the fifth floor, where the half of the Avengers who were working with the government were gathered in a dining room. Thor and Dr. Banner -- Peter recognized him from his picture -- were playfully bantering about Poptarts (Thor's favorite Midgardian sweet); Vision and Mr. Rhodes were talking in low voices about something; and a tall, powerful woman came into the kitchen with a huge platter of pancakes and syrup.</p><p>"Just in time!" Tony declared with a grin, reaching for a pancake.</p><p>The woman swatted him. "Guests first." She smiled warmly at Peter. "Hello, you must be Peter Parker. I'm Natasha Romanoff."</p><p>"Hi," Peter replied politely. "Thanks, Miss Romanoff, but I'm not really that hungry."</p><p>"Eat," Tony and Loki ordered together. Loki set him down in the chair next to Thor, who was giving him a concerned look. Sighing, Peter used his good arm to put a pancake on his plate. As soon as he did so, the males -- minus Vision and Loki -- began squabbling over the pancakes. When the dust settled, there were six pancakes left, which Loki and Vision split in a much calmer fashion.</p><p>"Introductions!" Tony said brightly, having taken the seat on Peter's other side. Loki leaned against his boyfriend's seat. "Name, super-hero name, favorite food, favorite movie, favorite Disney villain, and something cool about you. Rhodey first, we'll go around the table."</p><p>"Disney villain<span>? Really?" Rhodey deadpanned. Before Tony could reply, he said, "You already know my name, so I'll just get to the other parts. My 'Super-Hero' name is the Iron Patriot, my favorite food is Chicken Pot Pie, my favorite movie is Star Wars: The Phantom Menace-"</span></p><p>
  <span>Peter gave a muffled squeal of delight before blushing. "Sorry, I interrupted."</span>
</p><p>"It's fine, kid," Rhodey grinned. "My favorite Disney villain... probably Hades, from Hercules. The cool thing about me is I can put up with Tony's insanity."</p><p>This caused snickers from most of the group, a wounded glare from Tony, and a giggle from Peter.</p><p>"What is Disney<span>?" asked Thor.</span></p><p>
  <span>"You haven't introduced Thor to Disney, Bruce?" Tony sniggered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I showed him a few movies," Dr. Banner said dryly. "Disney is a group of people who put together cute movies the whole family can watch. You remember when I showed you Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella? They were made by Disney."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah," Thor mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I believe it is my turn?" Vision said. "I have no super-hero name, and the child has already been introduced to me. I don't really eat, but I suppose my favorite food would be Miss Widow's pancakes."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Flirt," Natasha drawled, making Peter giggle. He took a bite and gave a muffled gasp. They <em>were</em> really good!</span>
</p><p>Vision chuckled. "My favorite movie... Extra Terrestrial."</p><p>"It's called E.T.," Tony corrected.</p><p>Vision ignored him. "I am not sure about an interesting thing about myself-"</p><p>"You're the only one in this house, besides Lockton, who can stomach Steven King," Natasha pointed out. Dr. Banner paled and Thor turned faintly green. Loki just smirked faintly. Peter dropped his fork, snatching Thor's hand. The big Asgardian squeezed it very gently.</p><p>"I am<span>?" Vision was surprised. When everyone nodded, Vision blinked, then continued. "My favorite Disney villain is DOR-15."</span></p><p>
  <span>"Duh," Tony snorted. "She's cool, but I like Dr. Facilier from Princess and the Frog."</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Because he's most like</span>
  </em>
  <span><em> Loki,</em> Peter guessed. Judging by Rhodey's stifled snort, Thor's faintly amused look, and Dr. Banner's raised eyebrow, they caught the hidden meaning, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Natasha cleared her throat. "My Avengers name is Black Widow. My favorite food is blue jello. My favorite movie is -- actually, you probably wouldn't know it, it's Russian."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Try me, Miss Romanoff," Peter said. He loved watching foreign films.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"<em>Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi,</em>" Natasha said, raising a delicate eyebrow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That one was cool," Peter agreed. "I watched it a couple years ago."</span>
</p><p>Natasha grinned. "I'm guessing you watched the English version."</p><p>"Actually, I watched both," Peter said eagerly. "I was learning Russian, and watching movies in other languages always helps when I'm learning another language."</p><p>"You speak Russian? Really?" Natasha asked with a smirk. "<em><span>Я очень в этом сомневаюсь</span></em><span>."</span></p><p>
  <span>"Ten bucks </span>
  <span>Я доказываю что ты не прав," Peter smirked. Loki chuckled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well played," Natasha snickered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ahem," Tony interjected. "No one but you two speak Russian. Except Thor, who speaks a gazillion languages."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I speak Allspeak, which allows me to understand and speak every language in existence," Thor corrected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She said 'I highly doubt that,'" Peter translated, "and I said, 'Ten bucks I prove that you are wrong.'"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You owe him ten bucks, Nat," Tony grinned. "Now, We still have two more people to introduce. Finish up."</span>
</p><p>"That's okay, you don't have to, Miss Romanoff," Peter said quickly.</p><p>Natasha waved a hand and pulled a ten dollar bill from her pocket. "'Miss Romanoff' is too formal. You can call me whatever you want."</p><p>"Okay, мама паук," Peter said, reluctantly taking the money. Natasha beamed.</p><p>"Gosh, she's smiling, it's terrifying," Tony said dramatically.</p><p>Natasha ignored him. "My favorite Disney villain is Mother Gothel, from Tangled, and... hmm... I've always wanted to use a lightsaber." Tony opened his mouth, but Natasha said sharply, "You are <em>not</em> building lightsabers, Tony Stark."</p><p>Peter burst into giggles, which caused the rest of the table to laugh except Tony, who was pouting.</p><p>
  <span>"Me next," Dr. Banner said. He turned to Peter, looking slightly resigned. "I'm Bruce Banner-"</span>
</p><p>Peter gasped. "<em>Dr.</em> Bruce Banner<span>?!" He would have reacted earlier, but the others didn't know that he was Spiderman, and knew about their secret identities. "You wrote amazing papers on neurotransmitters and gamma radiation and all your work is so amazing and I'm your biggest fan-"</span></p><p>
  <span>"Whoa, Pete, breath," Tony laughed. Peter took a deep breath</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dr. Banner was staring at Peter, his eyes slightly misty. "Tony?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're keeping him," Dr. Banner said hoarsely. Thor looked like he wanted to hug him, but he refrained.</span>
</p><p>"Well duh," Tony snorted, making Peter blush. "He doesn't really have anywhere else to stay, and he's totally awesome." Peter smiled shyly.</p><p>"Aww," Natasha cooed, "I just want to eat him!"</p><p>Dr. Banner cleared his throat, seeing that Peter was getting slightly uncomfortable with the attention. "My Avenger name is the Hulk. My favorite food is lasagna." Peter nodded appreciatively; lasagna was <em>good</em>. "My favorite move is Beauty and the Beast. My favorite Disney villain is probably Lots-o, from Toy Story 3. Either that or Gaston."</p><p>Loki choked on a bite of pancake, and Peter gave him a slightly confused look. Loki shook his head, gesturing <em>Later.</em></p><p>"I... don't know about anything that's interesting about me," Dr. Banner said, blushing faintly.</p><p>"I could name several," Thor corrected. Dr. Banner blushed harder. "You hate green apples with a passion; you adore kittens and puppies, which I find adorable-"</p><p>By this time, Dr. Banner was as red as a cherry.</p><p>"Moving swiftly on!" Dr. Banner blurted. "It's your turn, Thor."</p><p>Thor sighed and turned to Peter. "We have been introduced, so, I suppose I will skip the first two. My favorite food is Apple-Cinnamon Poptarts." He ignored Tony's snort. "I have not watched many of your Midgardian movies, but I rather enjoyed Maleficent and the sequel. I have not watched enough 'Disney' movies to pick my favorite as of yet, but my favorite villain of the movies I <em>have</em> watched is Mr. Hyde, from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."</p><p>Dr. Banner flushed and glared at Tony. "This is your fault."</p><p>Tony gave him an innocent look and turned to Peter. "Your turn, kiddo."</p><p>Peter sat up slightly at the confused looks from everyone but Vision. "You all know my name. My Avenger name is Spiderman-" Several gasps interrupted him.</p><p>"But you're, like, twelve!" Rhodey yelped. Natasha had raised an eyebrow, and Dr. Banner and Thor were giving him startled looks.</p><p>"I'm actually fifteen, Mr. Rhodes," Peter corrected, sighing. "My favorite food is sausage mushroom pizza-"</p><p>"Yessss," Tony purred.</p><p>"-my favorite movie is Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, even though I ship Finn and Poe Dameron," Peter continued, "my favorite Disney villain is Dr. Facilier, because he's hot-" he ignored the snickers from Tony and Rhodey "-and something cool about me is that I love cats more than I like dogs. Cats don't take anyone's crap, they dish it."</p><p>Loki chuckled again. "Cats are wonderful."</p><p>"They remind me of my brother," Thor said wistfully. Loki gave him a fondly irritated look.</p><p>"Right, moving on!" Tony said, clapping his hands together. "Lockton and I have an announcement, but we're waiting for Happy to finish putting Pete's luggage-"</p><p>The door opened and Happy entered, looking bored until he saw the pancakes, and then his eyes lit up.</p><p>"There's more batter," Natasha promised. "Guess there won't be any leftovers this time."</p><p>"What are left-overs?" Rhodey asked sarcastically, earning a soft laugh from Dr. Banner.</p><p>"Great, now that we're all here-" Tony turned to Loki. "Want to do the honors, babe?"</p><p>Loki rolled his eyes and raised his left hand, showing the silver Ouroboros ring on the fourth finger. "Antony and I are engaged," he said.</p><p>Rhodey straight-up squealed, almost in unison with Peter's squeal, which caused most of the people at the table to burst out laughing.</p><p>
  <strong>(Finally, the author complains. You should have been engaged after he tortured Potts for you.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>No, although we did have great se-</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>TONY!)</strong>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Peter goes on patrol and meets a new... friend.<br/>Ned finds out Peter's secret.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Be back by ten,” Tony instructed, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and definitely don’t do anything I <em> would </em> do.”</p><p>Peter ignored the last two ⎯ although it was confusing, he knew what Mr. Stark meant ⎯ and questioned, “Ten?”</p><p>“Yes, ten!”</p><p>“Antony,” Loki said gently, “we are not his parents.”</p><p>Peter <em> wished. </em></p><p>“But I’m worried about him!” Tony exclaimed.</p><p>“Ned’s coming over, remember, Mr. Stark?” Peter interjected. “I’ll be back by eight. Tomorrow, though, I’d like-”</p><p>“Ten,” Tony said with finality. Peter agreed with a sigh, and Tony pulled him into a hug. “Be careful,” the man muttered quietly, squeezing him briefly.</p><p>“I will,” Peter promised, squeezing him back. Loki hugged them, too, and then he was swinging over Manhatten, whooping with joy.</p><p>----------</p><p>Patrol was slow. Peter stopped a bike theft, gave an old woman directions to the nearest hotel, and <em> thought </em> someone was stealing a car (it turned out he’d locked his keys inside). By six o’clock, Peter was thinking about going home early.</p><p>Peter sat down on the edge of a building to finish off the burrito the old woman had bought him, incredibly bored.</p><p>“Hey, cutie!”</p><p>Peter let out a yelp and almost fell four stories, but gloved hands caught him and pulled him up.</p><p>A villain, slightly taller than him, was standing there, bouncing excitedly on the tips of his toes. He was wearing a red-and-black outfit, black boots, and a cool mask. Two katanas were strapped to his back (awesome) and a revolver was attached to his hip (less awesome).</p><p>“Um… I don’t think we’ve met,” Peter said carefully, getting ready to trap the guy in a web.</p><p>“Oh my gosh, they were telling the truth, you <em> are </em> polite!” the villain squealed, clapping his hands to his cheeks. “My name is Deadpool, and I’m your biggest fan!”</p><p>No, <em> Ned </em> was Spider-man’s biggest fan. Peter thought it was kind of funny, the way Ned fan-boyed every time Spiderman appeared on the news.</p><p>That name was familiar, though…</p><p>“Um, thanks?” Peter said hesitantly. “But bad guys aren’t usually fans. Also, who told you I was polite?”</p><p>“I’m not a bad guy!” Deadpool sputtered. “I’m a vigilante! There’s a difference!”</p><p>“Oh!” Peter lowered his hands. “Sorry, just,” he gestured to the outfit, “your costume kind of threw me off.” Mr. Stark and his fiance were basically vigilantes now, so he was kinda okay with it. “What do you need?”</p><p>“Oh my gosh, so polite,” Deadpool said dazedly. He shook himself. “I didn’t really need anything, I just wanted to ⎯ wait, can I have an autograph?!” he asked excitedly.</p><p>Peter giggled. “Okay. Do you have a pen and some paper?”</p><p>Deadpool clapped his hands together happily and pulled out a sticky-note and a black, ball-point pen with the words <em> W. Wilson Enterprises </em> printed on it.</p><p>Peter frowned. Did Deadpool work for Wade’s dad?</p><p>“Heh,” Deadpool said sheepishly when he saw the pen. “My house is full of these things, I really don’t like Wilson, but my dad works for him, so…”</p><p>Peter nodded and took the pen and paper. “I don’t like him much, either.” He signed the sticky-note <em> From your friendly neighbor-hood Spiderman </em> and handed the paper and pen back.</p><p>“Yay!” Deadpool said brightly, making Peter giggle again. He was <em> cute. </em> Could vigilantes be cute? “Thank you thank you thank you thank you-” Deadpool pulled Peter into a tight, brief hug and said, “Gotta go, duty calls, nice to meet you!” He jumped over to the building beside them and shot a grappling hook to the roof of the next one.</p><p>Peter chuckled and shook his head, pulling out his phone. It was almost seven. Wow, he spend a lot of time with Deadpool.</p><p>Sighing, Peter was about head back to the Tower when he saw a light and movement across the street. There were people in the bank. Hadn’t it been closed an hour ago?</p><p>Peter swung over to investigate.</p><p>Well, this was new.</p><p>A group of robbers wearing Avengers masks ⎯ Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Captain America ⎯ were using high-powered blowtorch and magnet to rob the ATM inside the building.</p><p>Peter opened the door and closed it carefully. Finally, something good!</p><p>Casually, he leaned against the door, folding his arms. “Hey guys!”</p><p>The four of them looked up.</p><p>“Whoa, you’re the Avengers!” Peter said mock excitedly, pointing at them. “What are you guys doing here?”</p><p>One of them pointed a gun at his face, and he shot a web at him, covering his hand. “Thor-” he kicked the one wearing a Hulk mask back “-Hulk-” he jumped, flipped, and attached his feet to the ceiling “-really great to meet you guys-” he kicked the one wearing the Thor mask. “You’re way more handsome in person!”</p><p>Turning his head, he dodged a punch at his face from the one wearing an Iron Man mask. “What are you doing here?” Peter grabbed the man’s fist and pushed him back.</p><p>The one wearing the Captain America mask grabbed the high-tech magnet and pointed it at him. Suddenly blue light flooded from it and made Peter’s limbs fly out, and he was suspended in midair.</p><p>“Hey! This feels so weird!” Peter said excitedly; his voice sounded odd. The man threw him backward, and he knocked the guy wearing the Hulk mask back down again.</p><p>“Whoa, what is that thing?” Peter asked, staring at the high-powered magnet. The man wearing the Captain America mask used it again, knocking him from floor to ceiling repeatedly. “I’m starting ⎯ to think ⎯ you’re not ⎯ the Avengers!”</p><p>Peter used one hand to stick to the floor and shot a web at a display of brochures, then used it to knock over “Captain America”. He was free from the “magnet” and began fighting the four again.</p><p>“Okay, I need to wrap this up, it’s a school night,” Peter said, kicking the one wearing the Thor mask away. “Iron Man” picked up the high-tech magnet and pointed it at him, and Peter tied it and his hand to the doors.</p><p>Peter jumped over to him and pulled the Iron Man mask away from the guy’s face. “So how’d you get weapons like this?”</p><p>“Hulk” picked up the high-tech blowtorch and fired it at him. Peter flipped out of the way, and the beam of deadly light broke through the doors. Peter heard a loud explosion and spun around, gasping when he saw that the store across the street was completely destroyed and on fire.</p><p>“Mr. Delmar!”</p><p>Completely forgetting the four robbers, Peter leaped out of the bank an ran across the street. “Hello, is anyone in here?”</p><p>By the time Peter found Mr. Delmar and his cat, the robbers had gone.</p><p>“Aw man,” Peter groaned. “Gotta go,” he told Mr. Delmar. He gently handed Murph over to the man and swung off.</p><p>Mr. Stark was going to kill him.</p><p>Well, maybe not….</p><p>----------</p><p>Peter climbed up the side of the Avenger’s Tower, sneaking carefully to his room ⎯ well, floor, actually, the fifth floor. He tapped the window and hissed, “Hey, FRIDAY, please unlock the window <em> quietly </em>, and can you tell Mr. Stark that I’m back and I’m fine?”</p><p>“Yes, Peter,” the AI responded in a whisper, and the window clicked quietly.</p><p>Peter gently slid it open, climbed through, and latched onto the ceiling. Then he slowly closed the window again, crawled across the ceiling to the door of his bedroom, and shut it carefully. Peter then flipped silently to the ground and pulled off his mask, panting.</p><p>A loud crash sounded behind him, and Peter spun around. Ned was sitting on his bed, gaping at him, and a pile of legos at Ned’s feet indicated that he’d been at least half-way done building the LEGO Death Star.</p><p>Peter had <em> completely </em> forgotten that Ned was going to be here. Deadpool and the robbery had driven it from his mind.</p><p>“You’re Spiderman,” Ned breathed.</p><p>“No, no, no, I’m not,” Peter said quickly, panicking.</p><p>“You were on the ceiling!” Ned squeaked.</p><p>“I was… uh…” Peter pulled off the suit and went to his dresser. “Testing. Testing Mr. Stark’s new tech. Um. It helps me stick to walls.”</p><p>Seeing Ned’s I-don’t-buy-that-crap face, Peter sighed.</p><p>“Okay, yes, I’m Spiderman, but you <em> can’t </em> tell anyone,” he said.</p><p>“Are you an Avenger?” Ned asked eagerly, coming out of his shock.</p><p>“I’m a Junior Avenger, whatever that means,” Peter sighed, opening his shirt drawer. “The crap?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah,” Ned said, seeing Peter’s surprise. “Mr. Stark came in while you were, um ‘doing the Internship’ and put a bunch of new clothes in your drawers.”</p><p>Oh, my gosh, that meant Mr. Stark had seen is Iron Man footies!</p><p>“The Iron Man footies are cute, I’m not surprised you have them,” Ned added, confirming Peter’s fears. “Don’t worry, Mr. Stark thought it was hilarious. Wait, what <em> about </em> the Stark Internship?”</p><p>Peter stared at him and pointed at the suit. “This <em> is </em> the Stark Internship.”</p><p>“Oh,” Ned said, nodding.</p><p>“Did you have dinner?” Peter asked, pulling on one of his new shirts. <em> Oh my gosh I love Led Zeppelin! </em></p><p>“Mr. Stark let me eat with the other Avengers!” Ned said excitedly. “Black Widow’s lasagna is <em> amazing </em>. We also had Mr. Silver’s chocolate chip cookies-”</p><p>“They had мама паук’s lasagna and Mr. Silver’s cookies <em> without </em> me?” Peter complained, opening his pants drawer and pulling out a pair of tight black jeans.</p><p>“What? Who’s mama nay-k?” Ned questioned.</p><p>“It means ‘mama spider,’” Peter explained. “And it’s мама паук.”</p><p>“They left you some lasagna and cookies,” Ned said. “I have <em> so many </em> questions.”</p><p>Peter rubbed his forehead. “Ned, you ⎯ no one was supposed to know except the other Avengers.”</p><p>“What, why?” Ned frowned.</p><p>“Because now that you know, you’re in danger!” Peter snapped. Then he blanched. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be short-”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Ned said quickly, giving him a concerned look. “I get it, keeping the secret is important. I won’t tell anyone.”</p><p>“You have to pretend you don’t know I’m Spiderman,” Peter insisted. “If Mr. Stark finds out you know, he’s going to <em> kill </em> me.” Probably not literally. He snatched up his Spiderman suit and stuffed it in the closet.</p><p>There was a knock on the door. “Pete, did you eat?” Mr. Stark asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I had a burrito, but I could use a cookie,” Peter called back hopefully.</p><p>Mr. Stark and Ned laughed, and Tony said, “Sure, two cookies coming right up.”</p><p>Peter turned and gave Ned a worried look.</p><p>“I won’t tell anyone,” Ned whispered. “This is <em> so cool, </em>” he squeaked.</p><p>Peter smiled, then joined Ned on the bed, and the subject changed to the Spanish quiz, as the two friends began re-building the Death Star.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ned asks a gazillion questions.<br/>Peter, Ned, and MJ are invited to Wade's party.<br/>Peter finds more high-tech weapons.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I changed the name of the coach because it's the same last name as Wade's.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next day, Ned started asking his questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You got bit by a spider?” Ned asked, appalled. Peter nodded. Excitedly, he said blabbered, “Can it bite me? It would probably hurt, though, right? You know what, whatever, even if it did hurt, I’d let it bite me. Maybe. How much </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> it hurt?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The spider’s dead, Ned,” Peter sighed, rubbing his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Long pause. “Do you lay </span>
  <em>
    <span>eggs?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What!” Peter yelped. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>No.</span>
  </em>
  <span> That… no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Science Class: “Can you spit venom?” “No, Ned.” “Can you summon an army of spiders?” “No, Ned.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>History Class: “How far can you shoot your webs?” “I don’t know, shh.” “If I was you, I’d just stand on the edge of a building and just shoot as far as I could.” “Ned, pay attention!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>P.E., while an actor pretending to be Captain America talked about workouts: “Did you know him, too?” “Yeah, we met…. I stole his shield.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even while they were doing sit ups, Ned still asked questions while sitting on Peter’s knees. “Do Avengers have to pay taxes?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, shh,” Peter grunted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does Hulk smell like?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I bet he smells nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ned, shh!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was Captain America cool, or was he, like, a mean old grandpa?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ned, just be quiet, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” Ned said abruptly, “can I be your guy in the chair?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My what?” Peter asked in confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” Ned said, looking sheepish, “there’s a guy, wearing a headset, telling the other guy where to go? Like, if there was a burning building, I could tell you where to go, because there’d be screens around me, and I could be your guy in the chair.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter frowned. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ned gave him a hopeful look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll think about it, okay, Ned?” Peter said finally. He figured it would be easier and faster if he had someone telling him where all the trouble was, and in the meantime, he could still patrol.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His thoughts were interrupted by a conversation between Wade and his friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Iron Man, Thor, Hulk,” said Betty Brant. “Kiss, marry, or kill?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kill the Hulk,” said Seymour O’Reilly, “kiss Iron Man, marry Thor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about Spiderman?” Wade frowned. Peter froze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about him?” Seymour asked, rolling his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you see the bank security cam on YouTube? He fought off four guys.” Wade looked excited, and Peter blushed horribly. Ned sniggered quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, my gosh, Wade’s crushing on Spiderman,” Betty teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way,” Seymour exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kind of?” Wade said hesitantly. Peter’s eyes widened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, gross,” Betty said. “No, not that,” she assured him when Wade frowned. “He’s probably, like, thirty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I doubt that,” Wade said dryly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t even know what he looks like,” Seymour pointed out. “Like, what if he’s seriously burned?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t care,” Wade shrugged, and Peter swallowed. “I would still live him for the person he is on the inside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aww,” Betty cooed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Wade complained, playfully shoving her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Peter knows Spiderman,” Ned blurted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter blanched and glared at Ned as everyone silenced and turned in their direction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No I don’t!” Peter blurted, leaping to his feet. Wade looked faintly disappointed, and quickly, he said, “I, I mean-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re friends,” Ned offered, standing up too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah right,” Flash sneered, stalking over. “Like Coach Porch and Captain America are friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wade’s eyes darkened with anger, and he shot Flash a dangerous look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I, I’ve met him,” Peter said shyly, “a couple times.” He turned and glared at Ned. “I’m just not supposed to talk about it!” he muttered through gritted teeth. Ned gave him an apologetic look. “But it’s through the Stark Internship,” he added, glancing at Flash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s awesome,” Flash said with a mock smile. “You know what, maybe you should invite him to Wade’s party, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First of all,” Wade said coldly, “you were never invited, after you </span>
  <em>
    <span>pushed Peter down the stairs.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Secondly, you can’t just invite people.” He glanced at Peter. “You can totally come tonight, you don’t have to bring Spiderman. Your friends are invited, too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Th-thanks,” Peter blushed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bell rang, and everyone got up and left. Peter turned and gave Ned a frustrated look. “What are you doing?” he demanded in a whisper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you hear him?” Ned responded, eyes shining. “Wade has a crush on you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He has a crush on Spiderman,” Peter corrected. “What if he’s expecting someone older, more good-looking-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Peter,” Ned interrupted dryly, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but a lot of people think you’re hot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter blushed. “Wh-what? No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And adorable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter swallowed and gave him a look full of longing despair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude,” Ned said gently, “you’re an Avenger-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Junior Avenger,” Peter corrected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If anyone has a chance with a senior boy, it’s you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter shook his head. Gosh, he was going to regret this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought Wilford Wilson hated you,” Tony said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He does, but Wade said he and Mrs. Wilson were out,” Peter replied. “They’ll never know I was there.” Because he’d be spending most of it as Spiderman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Happy stopped the limo in front of Wilson manor, where there were several people outside. An outdoor speaker was blaring Poker Face, by Lady Gaga. The front doors were open, and Peter could see more people inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were </span>
  <em>
    <span>so many more people</span>
  </em>
  <span> than Wade had told him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Stark,” Peter whispered, “I don’t think I can do this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Peter,” MJ said, “we’re with you all the way. If you’re uncomfortable talking to Wade, just avoid him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s his party,” Peter choked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Pete,” Tony said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve got faith in you, buddy.” The look in his eyes said he meant more than just with guys; he meant with Spiderman, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except Tony didn’t know he was going to turn Spiderman into a party trick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Mr. Stark,” Peter said quietly, only slightly comforted. But he’d promised Ned, so he got out of the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Peter,” Tony said, as soon as MJ and Ned were out of the car. Peter ducked down to look at him. “Have fun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter nodded nervously and shut the door. Happy drove off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bye, Mr. Stark!” Ned shouted excitedly. As they walked up to the doors, he asked nervously, “Was he annoyed by me? I couldn’t tell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m pretty sure he thought you were amusing,” MJ responded. “He had a little smile on his face. Bye losers, I’m going to go eat vegetables.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“MJ is weird in an awesome way,” Peter noted. Ned nodded amusedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Petey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter blushed horribly as Wade appeared in the doorway, looking delighted. “Oh, hey Ned,” he added, spotting him. “Where’s MJ?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She went to ‘go eat veggies,’” Peter responded. He giggled when Wade gave him a confused look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t ask,” Ned replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool hat, dude,” Wade grinned, and Ned grinned back. “I’m so glad you guys are here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter hopefully thought he meant, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m so glad </span>
  </em>
  <span>Peter’s</span>
  <em>
    <span> here,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but that probably wasn’t true.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a great party,” Peter said, still blushing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, man,” Wade beamed. There was a crashing noise, followed by drunken laughs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you...?” Ned began.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It won’t be a problem for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Father,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he’s a millionaire,” Wade scowled. He fixed a smile back on his face and said, “There’s pizza and drinks if you want them.” Then he disappeared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He really don’t like his dad, does he?” Ned said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Peter replied, feeling extremely concerned for Wade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go spider it up!” Ned whispered, changing the subject.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter sighed. “All right.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just this once,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he told himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found himself on the roof of the house opposite, pulling his clothes off to reveal his suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what’s up guys, Peter called,” Peter said in a gruff voice, pulling his mask out of his coat pocket. “Hey, Ned, good to see you, hey, where’s Peter anyway?” He stared down at the party, swallowing. “This is stupid,” he told himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A faint explosion sounded. For a split second, Peter thought it had come from the party ⎯ more drunk idiots ⎯ but then he saw the same blue light that had come from the high-tech blow-torch and anti-gravity gun several miles away, in the middle of nowhere. Peter pulled on his mask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Duty calls,” he said in relief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter regretted everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had started out simple enough. He’d figured out that the robbers had gotten their tech from people who were experimenting with the Chitari weapons, then selling them. He kept spying on the two who were trying to sell to another bad guy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But things went downhill from there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter’s cell-phone had gone off loudly (he really needed to put it on silent) alerting the bad guys that he was there. Peter flipped down so they would shoot at him instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except, expecting them to lower the weapon, they didn’t. He fired another high-tech weapon at him and Peter had to do some fancy flips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next thing he knew, he was being dragged behind their van by a thin string of webbing, which instantly ripped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For about twenty minutes, Peter managed to keep up with the van of weapons but not catch it. He had to take a short-cut. Just as he was about to leap on top of it, something big and heavy caught him in midair and pulled him into the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The guy had giant metal wings. They had effing giant metal wings.</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Peter was screwed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man dropped him when they were about five hundred feet above the lake. Peter screamed and tried to shoot webs somewhere ⎯ anywhere ⎯ but he was too far away. To his surprise, about three hundred feet from the lake, a parachute came out of his suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except he was upside-down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter crashed into the lake, and the parachute wrapped around him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He was going to die. He was going to die without saying goodbye to his friends or kissing Wade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just before Peter blacked out, he saw a light shooting towards him. A familiar metal suit grabbed him and shot out of the water. Sobbing in relief, Peter wrapped his arms around the suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Peter, I’m here,” Tony said frantically. “What happened? Who hurt you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I d-d-don’t kn-know,” Peter rasped, his teeth chattering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony set down by a park and opened his mask. He looked worried and furious. “I’m pretty sure I should ground you,” he grumbled. He patted Peter’s shoulder, and a blast of warm air filled the suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Th-th-thanks,” Peter mumbled. “Please don’t ground me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to, you thought you were doing the right thing,” Tony said. “Also, I’m not your da ⎯ guardian, no matter how much I wish I was.” He pulled Peter’s mask off. “You could have called me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would have heard,” Peter said quietly, blinking. He was exhausted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me everything,” Tony ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um. Mr. Stark,” Peter said carefully. “Can this, you know, be, like, a test?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A test for… what?” Tony asked slowly, a faintly dangerous note in his tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter shrank slightly, and Tony hugged him again. “I want to go on real missions,” Peter said in a small voice. “I’m ready, Mr. Stark. I want to prove it to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony was silent for a few moments. Then he said, “I’m keeping an eye on you. If it gets too dangerous, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> step in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Mr. Stark,” Peter said happily, refraining from hugging him back. He was sore all over. “You won’t regret this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony smiled at him, looking worried and affectionate at the same time. He kissed the top of Peter’s head and said, “I’ve got to get back to Loki, he’ll be worried about us both. Do you want to go home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me call Ned first,” Peter said, letting go of Tony and pulling out his phone. How the crap was it still working?!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ned answered on the second ring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Ned, sorry I bailed on you,” Peter apologized. Mr. Stark would think he meant ‘left Ned alone at the party’ instead of ‘not coming in as Spiderman.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s okay,” Ned sighed, “I was actually going to call you and tell you not to come. Mr. Wilson came home early and kicked me and MJ out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Peter demanded. “He can’t ⎯ just because you’re friends with me-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, Peter.” Peter could hear his grin. “Listen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With Peter’s slightly heightened hearing, he could hear Wade shouting in the background.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...don’t know why you hate Peter, because he’s adorable and sweet and cool, and his friends are cool too, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate</span>
  </em>
  <span> you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter blushed horribly. Then he said quickly, “Do you and MJ need a ride home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Ned responded. “That would be great.” He paused. “Hold up, MJ’s here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, loser,” MJ said. “Where’d you go? Not that I care.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter giggled. “Hey, MJ. I’m fine, I just… really had to get out.” That was basically true.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sound exhausted,” MJ said, a frown in her voice. “Are you sure you’re okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Peter replied. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I am now.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a pause, and Peter could hear Ned talking to someone in the background.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, loser, your crush wants to talk to you,” MJ said quietly, sniggering.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“MJ!” Peter squeaked in protest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Petey,” Wade said in a very concerned, very angry voice. “Are you okay? You disappeared.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Wade. I’m fine,” Peter mumbled. “Big crowds make me uncomfortable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I should have told you-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not your fault,” Peter said quickly. “Are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> okay? Ned said your dad came home early.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re really sweet, Petey,” Wade said warmly, and Peter blushed again. “I’m never speaking to him again, so, I’m ecstatic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter giggled. “Thanks for inviting us. Did MJ and Ned have fun?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A lot of people complimented Ned’s hat,” Wade replied. “I’m not sure about MJ, I can never tell what she’s feeling, but I’m pretty sure she had a good time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the background, Peter heard MJ confirm, “It was a lame party.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s MJ for ‘she had fun,’” Peter translated before Wade could say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wade laughed. “I like you,” he said in a muffled tone, obviously addressing MJ. “Want me to hand you back to Ned, Petey?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, thanks,” Peter said, disappointed that Wade hadn’t told </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, see you at school Monday,” Wade sang.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Peter takes the "glowy thingy" to school. Ned is excited to experiment on it.<br/>The two friends use Peter's tracker and it tells them where the two bad guys went.<br/>Wade asks Peter an important question.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>Mr. Stark, </em>” Ned said disbelievingly, “let you go after these guys?” He looked worried.</p><p>“As a test,” Peter said with a tiny smile. He hit the glowing object one more time, revealing a small blue… it looked like a stone?</p><p>“What is that?” Ned asked.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Peter replied, “some guy tried to vaporize me with it.” He struggled with the object, trying to get the blue thing out.</p><p>“What?” Ned hissed in alarm. “Peter-”</p><p>“I think it’s a power source,” Peter said.</p><p>Ned’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, but it’s connected to all these neuro-processors.” He pointed at the cords. “That’s an inductive charging plate. That’s what I use to charge my toothbrush.”</p><p>“Whoever’s making these weapons is obviously combining alien tech with ours,” Peter said slowly.</p><p>“That is literally the coolest sentence anyone has ever said,” Ned said dazedly.</p><p>Peter picked up the hammer again and banged it against the weapon. The blue thing flew out of it and landed on the floor with a loud noise.</p><p>Both of them froze and stared at the teacher.</p><p>“Keep your fingers clear of the blades,” Mr. Hapwell said sharply without looking up from his book. They both relaxed.</p><p>Peter picked up the blue thing and put it on the table. “We gotta figure out what this thing is and who makes it.”</p><p>“We’ll run to the lab after class and run some tests,” Ned decided.</p><p>“Thanks,” Peter smiled.</p><p>----------</p><p>“First,” said Ned, “we’ll put the glowy thingy in the mass spectrometer.”</p><p>“We gotta come up with a better name than glowy thingy,” Peter sighed.</p><p>His spider senses flared just as two men turned the corner. Peter dragged Ned behind the the room for the chess club, having recognized one of the men from the night before.</p><p>“That’s one of the guys who tried to kill me last night!” Peter whispered, watching them around the corner. Ned blanched.</p><p>“We gotta get out of here,” Ned whispered.</p><p>“No, I have to follow them,” Peter retorted. “They might be working for the guy who trapped me in the lake.”</p><p>Ned paled further. “Be careful.”</p><p>Peter smiled fondly at Ned and turned to watch the two men again. They were heading to the basement. He snuck after them.</p><p>“Can you imagine what the boss would say if he knew where we were right now?” the shorter man snorted. The taller one, the one who had attacked Peter the night before, was passing some sort of tech over the chairs.</p><p>“It’s saying there’s an energy pulse right here,” the taller one sighed.</p><p>“There’s no sign of the weapon.”</p><p>Peter’s eyes widened; that was where he’d stored the glowy thingy earlier. Thank goodness it wasn’t there anymore!</p><p>Carefully, he put down his backpack and slipped under the table, clinging to the underside.</p><p>“Even if it was here, it’s not now,” the shorter one pointed out.</p><p>“Well…” the taller one paused, and Peter watched his feet turn towards the table.</p><p>The two walked by him, and Peter shot a tracker spider at the taller one. It landed on his shoe and crawled up his leg.</p><p>Peter counted to fifty, then left the basement.</p><p>“Petey!”</p><p>Peter jumped, blushing, as Wade ran up to him, beaming.</p><p>“I can’t tell you how happy I am that Mr. Stark made that tech and you’re not hurt anymore,” he said, pulling Peter into a hug. Peter blushed horribly.</p><p>“Hi, Wade,” Peter stammered, telling his heart to stop hammering so quickly.</p><p>Wade pulled back, eyes sparkling. “Hey, I was wondering,” he said, “are you free Friday?”<br/>Peter blinked. “What about Decathlon?”</p><p>“Shoot,” Wade said irritably. “Wednesday, then? I promise to have you home by seven,” he said suavely.</p><p>Peter swallowed. “Um, yeah, sure… why?”</p><p>“I want to take you on a date!” Wade said brightly.</p><p>----------</p><p>“You have a tracker?” Ned whispered eagerly. “Cool!”</p><p>“We’re waiting for them to stop,” Peter said. “We’re going to follow them and find out what they’re up to and who the vulture guy is.”</p><p>“Vulture!” Ned exclaimed.</p><p>“Shh!” Peter hissed. “Mr. Stark thinks we’re doing homework!”</p><p>Ned gave him an embarrassed look and lowered his voice. “That is the coolest villain name ever. This is the coolest thing ever.” He stared at Peter’s tracker with awe.</p><p>Peter giggled.</p><p>A few hours later, Ned’s voice brought Peter away from his Spanish homework.</p><p>“Maryland?” Peter said in surprise.</p><p>“What’s there?” Ned mused.</p><p>“I don’t know, an evil lair?” Peter suggested.</p><p>“A lair?” Ned asked disbelievingly.</p><p>“Dude,” Peter said, “guys with a bunch of weapons run by a guy with wings? Yeah, they have a lair.”</p><p>“Awesome,” Ned said with a grin. “But how are you gonna get there? It’s like three thousand miles away.”</p><p>Peter pointed at the Decathlon poster. “It’s not too far from DC.”</p><p>“I thought you weren’t going to go?” Ned frowned.</p><p>“Because of patrol,” Peter pointed out, “but I never actually told Wade I couldn’t go.” He hadn’t worked up the nerve to tell his crush he couldn’t attend an event that Wade had been planning for for <em> months. </em> “This is more important,” he said quietly, his voice cracking. He could just see Wade’s face if he missed the Decathlon.</p><p>Ned gave him a sympathetic look and handed him the tracker.</p><p>“So,” Peter said, changing the subject, “speaking of Wade… he asked me on a date.”</p><p>Ned squealed. “Really? That’s awesome! When? What are you doing? Did you say yes?”</p><p>“Calm down, Ned,” Peter giggled. “I said yes-” after he’d gotten over his shock “-and we’re going out to dinner on Wednesday.”</p><p>Ned squealed again, and Peter giggled harder.</p><p>He was going on a date with his crush, he was doing really well on his Avengers ‘test,’ and he had awesome friends.</p><p>What could go wrong?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Peter's first mission is a horrible failure.<br/>His date is not.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A lot could go wrong, it turned out.</p><p>Ned had hacked his suit, giving Peter access to all his suits capabilities, including an IA he’d named Karen. He didn’t know of them, and spent most of the mission failing spectacularly at using them. Finally, he’d just told Karen to set them all to normal.</p><p>He’d tracked the bad guys to a gas station, which confused him, until he figured out that this was not their “evil lair,” but that they were on a heist. He’d waited until the two trucks had shown up ⎯ and, to his dismay, the Vulture (as Ned had named him) ⎯ and jumped on after him.</p><p>Very bad idea.</p><p>The Vulture had just escaped the truck, and when Peter had attempted to jump out after him, he’d hit his head and fallen unconscious.</p><p>When he’d woken up, he’d found himself <em> not </em> in the bad guys’ lair, but in a Damage Control deep storage vault. Then he’d spent almost an hour learning about his suits capabilities before getting bored and going back into the truck to see if there was any tech he could use to get out.</p><p>Then he’d discovered that the “glowy thingy” was a Chitauri energy core.</p><p>He then spent the rest of the night guessing the passcode to open the door to the vault, so he could warn Ned that they’d been carrying around a <em> bomb. </em></p><p>So yeah, a lot could go wrong.</p><p>And that wasn’t all! It took him too long to get back, so not only did he miss the Decathlon, but he hadn’t warned Ned in time, and the energy core had activated in an elevator while his friends were touring the National Monument.</p><p>Peter had a heart attack getting inside, because he’d had to smash a window at the very top by <em> jumping over a helicopter </em>and using it to get inside.</p><p>He managed to save everyone, but he’d also gotten some bumps, bruises, and cuts.</p><p>Mr. Stark was going to kill him, and Wade was going to be so unhappy.</p><p>Peter didn’t know what was worse.</p><p>----------</p><p>“Peter!” Tony yelped, dragging him into a hug. Peter squeezed him back, shaking. “Oh my gosh I was so worried, are you okay?”</p><p>“No,” Peter mumbled. “I missed the Decathlon.”</p><p>Tony gave a short, shaky laugh. “Of course, he worries about the boyfriend, not that I almost had a heart attack!”</p><p>“Antony,” Loki said gently, joining the hug. “You cannot have a heart attack. Your Seiðr will not allow it.”</p><p>“It’s a figure of speech,” Tony muttered, pulling Peter impossibly closer. “You’re grounded,” he added.</p><p>Peter squawked in alarm. “What? Why?”</p><p>“You didn’t tell me you were going to track a couple of <em> dangerous men </em> and hack into your suit, and I couldn’t make sure you didn’t die!”</p><p>“I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, I forgot,” Peter blushed. “I promise to tell you next time.”</p><p>Tony’s expression softened ever so slightly, and he kissed the top of Peter’s head. “I’ll let it go this time. But the next time you <em> forget </em> to tell me anything-”</p><p>Peter nodded dutifully, then went back to cuddling his guardians.</p><p>----------</p><p>
  <b>(Did you think I’d forget Peter’s date? the author asks. No way, you need more adorableness.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Pretty sure that’s not a word.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Shut up Wade.)</b>
</p><p>“Mr. Parker,” FRIDAY said, a note of amusement in her tone, “a Mr. Wilson is in the front hall to pick you up for your date.”</p><p>Peter flushed as the other Avengers began snickering. “Thanks, FRIDAY.”</p><p>“I want to know all the saucy details,” Tony insisted. Loki rolled his eyes and gave Peter an apologetic look.</p><p>Peter blushed harder and said, “Goodbye!” He grabbed his sweater and rushed out of the room to laughter and a yelp from Tony (thank you, мама паук).</p><p>Wade turned and beamed when he saw Peter emerge from the elevator. Peter was now sure he was as red as a cherry.</p><p>Of course, he was instantly distracted from Wade’s smile by his clothes.</p><p>He was wearing tight black leather… well, everything. Pants, shirt, jacket, shoes. His jacket was open, showing off his abs-</p><p><em> Pay attention, Peter, </em> Peter thought, shaking himself.</p><p>
  <b>(Don’t pay attention, the author says indignantly.</b>
</p><p><b>Were you admiring me, too</b> <b>?</b></p><p>
  <b>...shut up, Wade….)</b>
</p><p>“You look amazing, Petey,” Wade grinned.</p><p>
  <em> No, I don’t, it’s just jeans and a t-shirt, I feel underdressed. </em>
</p><p>“Thanks,” Peter said shyly.</p><p>“Aww,” Wade cooed, pulling Peter into a hug. “Let’s go!” He grabbed Peter’s hand and pulled him out the door.</p><p>“Um,” Peter said carefully, “where are we-”</p><p>He stopped short, seeing the vehicle that most certainly did not belong to any of the Avengers.</p><p>A massive black motorcycle was parked between мама паук’s motorbike and one of Tony’s convertibles.</p><p>Peter’s jaw dropped. Wade smirked and said, “You were saying, Petey?” He pulled him over to the bike.</p><p>“W-where are we going?” Peter stammered.</p><p>“That’s a surprise,” Wade winked. He climbed onto the bike and helped Peter on in front of him. Peter flushed again when Wade wrapped an arm around his belly.</p><p>“You good, Petey?” Wade purred in his ear. Peter shivered.</p><p>“Um. Yeah,” Peter answered dazedly.</p><p>“Great!” Wade turned on the motorcycle.</p><p>Wade drove like a maniac, while somehow still following all the traffic laws. Peter was a mixture of terrified and delighted, whooping almost the entire time. Wade laughed.</p><p>He screeched to a halt in a parking-lot, somehow getting the motorcycle perfectly straight.</p><p>
  <b>(Unlike his sexuality, the author grins.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Wow, how original.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Shut up, Wade.)</b>
</p><p>Peter looked around and his jaw dropped again. They were standing in front of Dragonfire, a fancy restaurant dedicated to extremely spicy food. (How did Wade know he loved spicy food, the spicier the better?!)</p><p>“H-how,” Peter squeaked as Wade helped him off the bike.</p><p>Wade grinned, shrugging. “I know the owner.”</p><p>“But ⎯ but it-”</p><p>Wade laughed and ruffled Peter’s hair. “Come on, Petey.” He took Peter’s hand again and led him into the restaurant.</p><p>To Peter’s surprise, the restaurant was almost completely empty, other than the woman at the front. She looked up when he and Wade entered, a smile appearing on her face at once.</p><p>“Mr. Wilson, it’s good to see you again,” she said politely. “And this must be your date, Mr. Parker.”</p><p>“Hey, Jenny,” Wade said suavely, smiling. “Yep, this is Petey.”</p><p>“I’ll have someone lead you to your table,” Jenny said, rolling her eyes amusedly. “Carl!” she barked.</p><p>A door at the back of the restaurant opened and a waiter emerged, speed-walking over to them. The nametag on his suit said <em> Carl. </em>“Welcome, Mr. Wilson and guest,” Carl said flatly. “Follow me.” He turned.</p><p>Peter gave a muffled giggle at the man’s behavior as Wade gently pulled him after the man.</p><p>They sat down at a table near the back, and Wade pulled out Peter’s chair before taking his own seat. Peter was fairly sure he was going to be a blushing mess the entire date.</p><p>Carl gave them both menus and said boredly, “Any beverages you’d like, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Parker?”</p><p>Peter glanced at the drinks and beamed. “You have pink lemonade!”</p><p>Wade smirked behind his menu as Carl raised a brow. “Pink lemonade for Mr. Parker,” the waiter said dryly. “And for Mr. Wilson?”</p><p>“Water,” Wade said dismissively, setting down the menu.</p><p>“Yes, sir. I will be back momentarily,” Carl said blankly, leaving.</p><p>“See anything you like, Petey?” Wade asked, wriggling his eyebrows.</p><p>Peter <em> hoped </em> he meant the food, but Wade’s outfit was <em> really distracting. </em></p><p>
  <b>(So you’re saying you want to ‘eat’ Wade? the author asks innocently.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Yes! Yes, do that-</b>
</p><p><b>That wasn’t an </b> <b> <em>invitation,</em> </b> <b> Wade!</b></p><p>
  <b>You should know not to say things like that around me. Or Stark.)</b>
</p><p>“Um.” Peter looked at the menu and frowned. “What’s ‘Secret Dragonfire Special?’”</p><p>“Don’t get that,” Wade warned. “Even the most spicy-food-lovers don’t eat it. It’s been known to set things on fire.”</p><p>Peter blinked. “Not getting that, then.” He glanced down the menu again. “I’ll have nachos with salsa.”</p><p>“Their salsa is pretty spicy,” Wade smirked. “Think you can handle it?”</p><p>Peter could eat мама паук’s salsa without breaking a sweat, and the only other people who could safely eat her salsa were the two gods and Tony.</p><p>
  <b>(Tony is insane, of course he’d eat Natasha’s Terminator Salsa, the author snorts.)</b>
</p><p>Peter grinned back in answer, and Wade laughed. “You really do like spicy food.”</p><p>“Mhmm,” Peter replied. He paused, then said, “How <em> did </em> you know I love spicy food?”</p><p>“I asked MJ for help,” Wade admitted. “About a month before I asked you, of course. I had to reserve the entire restaurant for two hours-”</p><p>“What!” Peter sputtered. <em> Well, in hindsight, him reserving the entire restaurant was pretty obvious. </em></p><p>Wade blinked. “Didn’t I tell you?” he asked innocently.</p><p>Peter swatted his arm, cheeks burning. “You <em> reserved an entire restaurant for two hours? </em> Why?”</p><p>Wade’s playfully innocent expression disappeared. “Because I really like you, Peter,” Wade said seriously. “And I wanted you to know that.”</p><p>Peter’s jaw dropped for the third time that night. He swallowed. “Really?” he whispered.</p><p>Wade smiled slightly and took Peter’s hand again. “Really.”</p><p>“I… I like you, too,” Peter mumbled.</p><p>Wade laughed, leaning back. “I know.”</p><p>“Wait, what? You do?” Peter was redder than he’d been all evening.</p><p>“It was kinda obvious,” Wade said lazily. But Peter saw relief in Wade’s eyes, so at least part of him had thought Peter wasn’t interested. “Hey, so I was wondering ⎯ the school is doing prom early this year. You want to come with me?”</p><p>Wade’s only response was a muffled squeal, but that was enough.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Peter's first interrogation goes horribly, and so does his second mission.<br/>Tony and Loki give him a surprise.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey Karen,” Peter said thoughtfully, tapping his pencil on his chin as he stared at his math homework.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Peter?” the AI said patiently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you run facial recognition on people?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I can,” Karen answered. “Who would you like me to run facial recognition on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter sat up eagerly. “The bad guys.” He paused. “But we don’t have their pictures and I don’t completely remember what they look like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I record everything you see, Peter,” Karen explained. “It’s called the Baby Monitor Protocol.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter groaned, rubbing his forehead. “Of course it is.” He sighed. “Can you look at the footage of </span>
  <b>[insert date because I’m too lazy]</b>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>([giggle and snicker]</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, the author grumbles.)</b>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Peter.” The video of Peter staring longingly at a picture of Wade appeared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter turned bright red. “Um, later in the day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More of Peter staring at Wade’s picture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just go to after I left the party!” Peter sputtered, turning even redder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re very adorable, Peter,” Karen remarked amusedly as she did so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The image of the three bad guys appeared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, run the facial recognition,” Peter said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t find anything on the two on the left,” Karen said after a pause, referring to the two men selling weapons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Karen responded. “One individual identified: Aaron Davis, age 33. He has a criminal record and an address here in Queens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, let’s go pay him a visit,” Peter said brightly, jumping out of his seat and putting on the rest of his suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you like me to activate Enhanced Interrogation Protocol?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um… sure, just wait until I get to his address,” Peter decided. Karen gave him said address, and he prepared to swing out the window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, FRIDAY, tell Mr. Stark I’m going out on patrol, I’ve finished my homework,” Peter shouted, jumping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Spidey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter jumped and groaned. “Deadpool, you scared me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vigilante ducked his head. “Sorry. What are you doing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Interrogating a bad guy,” Peter replied, a slight note of excitement in his tone. “He’s my first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’ve interrogated loads!” Deadpool said eagerly. “Can I help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, sure, I guess,” Peter agreed. “So, a couple of guys were trying to sell the guy we’re about to interrogate some weird weapons that combine alien tech with ours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cool!” Deadpool breathed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m trying to figure out who they are and where their lair is,” Peter added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deadpool clapped his gloved hands together happily. “I can do that!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, then,” Peter said, giggling at Deadpool’s excitement. “Karen, activate Interrogation Mode.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who the heck is Karen?” Deadpool asked as Karen said, “Activating Interrogation Mode.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Iron Man made this suit for me, and he added an AI to it, I named her Karen,” Peter replied. His voice came out deeper and harsher.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deadpool shivered. “Your eyes went all red. That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>wicked.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter blushed. “Thanks.” He jumped off the wall into the parking garage, and Deadpool followed silently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aaron opened his trunk, and Peter shot webbing at his hand, sticking it to the lid of the trunk. Confidently, Peter stalked towards him, Deadpool following. “Remember me?” he growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need information,” Peter said sharply. “You give it to me now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right, chill,” Aaron said, looking confused as he held up a placating hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on,” Peter ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to your voice?” Aaron frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, what happened to my voice?” Peter demanded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about that.</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I heard your voice by the bridge, I know what a girl sounds like,” Aaron said dryly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t assume people’s genders!” Deadpool snapped, his voice dark and cold. Peter blinked and Aaron jumped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What had happened to the adorable, excitable Deadpool?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are the men who were trying to sell you those weapons?” Deadpool asked icily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deactivate Interrogation Mode,” Peter said quietly. It was useless because Aaron had already heard that voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aaron blinked. “Who the h*** are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I ask the questions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He </span>
  </em>
  <span>is </span>
  <em>
    <span>really good at interrogation,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Peter thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aaron shook his head and turned back to Peter. “The other night you told that dude, ‘If you’re going to shoot someone, shoot me.’ That’s pretty brave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter flushed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want those weapons in my neighborhood, I got a nephew who lives here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are these guys?” Peter asked. “What can you tell me about the guy with the wings?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Other than that he’s a psychopath dressed like a demon, nothing,” Aaron replied. “I don’t know who he is or where he is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter sighed and rubbed his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I do know where he’s gonna be,” Aaron added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Peter asked, brightening. Deadpool sagged and looked between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This crazy dude I used to work with,” Aaron explained. “He’s supposed to be doing a deal with him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!” Peter squealed, and he heard a muffled snort of amusement from Deadpool. He shook himself. “Where?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Staton Ferry, eleven,” Aaron answered. “Can I give you some advice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You gotta get better at this part of the job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think he did just fine,” Deadpool said dryly. “He got the answers he was looking for, or most of them.” He shook his head. “In the most adorable, sweet way possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter blushed, and Aaron snorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, do you need help at the ferry?” Deadpool asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Peter decided. Partially because he wanted to see his new friend in action, and because it didn’t hurt to have an extra set of hands. “No killing,” he added warily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deadpool sighed dramatically. “Just this once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter beamed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aaron cleared his throat. “Can you get rid of this?” He pointed at the webbing with his free hand. “I got ice cream in the trunk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Right,” Peter said quickly, putting his hand on the webbing. There was a hissing noise, and steam came out of the glove of his suit. The webbing dissolved into a thick white paste.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aaron wrinkled his nose. “That’s gross.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Peter apologized. “Thanks for answering my questions! Come on, Deadpool, let’s go!” He darted off excitedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was about to win this thing!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was not about to win this thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even with Deadpool, the bad guys had deadly weapons and outnumbered them. That, and the Vulture turned up, along with another weapon. Peter, not knowing how the weapons worked, ended up overloading the one the Vulture had, slicing the boat completely in half.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter managed to hold it together for ten seconds before two of his webs snapped, and the boat began sinking again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Iron Man showed up, as well as several more suits, and Peter knew he was in huge trouble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swung up to the top of the boat and sat down, pulling his knees to his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Spidey?” Deadpool appeared beside him, his costume spattered in blood. “What’s up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not eighteen yet,” Peter said carefully, “and Iron Man is my… guardian? I forgot to tell him where I was going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deadpool nodded sympathetically. “My mom’s furious every time I sneak off without telling her. Which is most of the time. But saving people is more important than being grounded.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter laughed shakily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of, I have another appointment,” Deadpool added. “Good luck with your guardian!” He waved and flipped off, landing on the deck. Peter watched him use a grappling hook to the dock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A suit helped Peter back to land, where Mr. Stark was waiting, arms crossed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you hurt?” he asked, his expression unreadable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-no,” Peter whispered. “I’m s-sorry-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony sagged and dragged him into a hug. “I’m not mad, Peter, I’m disappointed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was worse. Peter hugged him back, shaking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re really grounded this time,” Tony warned. “I’m not going to stop you going on patrol, but you’re not going to do your little test, and you’re going out in your old suit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter shot his head up. “But what about Karen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ka ⎯ who?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The AI you put in my suit,” Peter explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony blinked. “You made friends with her?” he asked, a faint note of fondness in his tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Peter said shyly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s sweet, Peter,” Karen said warmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not permanent,” Tony explained. “You won’t get your suit back for three weeks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Three weeks?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Until then, you’ll only help the ‘little guy,’” Tony scolded. “I’ll have Lokes look into the Vulture, as you called him, and his cronies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But aren’t you planning your wedding?” Peter frowned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We got it mostly planned out, we just need a ring bearer and a flower girl,” Tony said, waving his hand dismissively. “We know who they are, we just haven’t asked yet.” He kissed the top of Peter’s head. “Speaking of things we haven’t asked about yet-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you were going to wait until I got here, pet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Loki had appeared behind Tony, looking exasperated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was,” Tony whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter giggled slightly hysterically. Instantly, both men were hugging him, Loki murmuring gently in Russian. Peter swallowed back a sob and nuzzled into Tony’s chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Peter had calmed down a little, Loki said quietly, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Little spider,</span>
  </em>
  <span> there is something we would like to ask you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Peter heard Tony take a deep breath. “Can we adopt you?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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